Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková
Czech teacher and suffragist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková (17 April 1868 – 16 October 1915) was a Moravian teacher, journal editor, and women's rights activist. Born into a family of progressive educators, she studied to become a teacher, graduating in 1886. Her Catholic education led her to more conservative values than her family's, but after teaching for several years, she began to recognize the disparities between women and men teachers, as well as those of their students. By 1898, she was publicly calling for equal pay for equal work and campaigning for equal education for boys and girls. In 1902, Wiedermannová founded and became chair of the Moravian Teachers Union, whose focus was to professionalize teaching standards. The following year, she opened a Girls' Academy in Brno, hoping later to include secondary education there. As the Austro-Hungarian Empire provided little funding for girls' education, she held lectures to provide for the operating costs of the academy. Finally in 1908, she successfully established the first girls' secondary school in Moravia.
Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková | |
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Born | Zdeňka Maria Wiedermannová (1868-04-17)17 April 1868 |
Died | 16 October 1915(1915-10-16) (aged 47) Brno, Austro-Hungarian Empire |
Nationality | Austro-Hungarian, Czech |
Occupation(s) | teacher, journalist, women's rights activist |
Years active | 1886–1915 |
Parent |
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Relatives | Ludmila Konečná [cs] (sister) |
That year, Wiedermannová founded and became the editor for Ženská revue (Women's Review), a magazine publishing articles on developments in the international women's movement. Also in 1908, she began an informal marriage with fellow teacher Vincenc Motyčka. As he was Catholic and unable to divorce his first wife, the two were not able to formalize their union, but she added his surname to her own. In 1909, she retired as a teacher to focus on activism. She became one of the most visible Czech feminists, presenting over a hundred lectures during her career. She founded numerous women's associations and in 1910 was instrumental in the creation of a regional umbrella organization, the Progressive Organization of Women in Moravia, actively committed to women's suffrage and the integration of women into all segments of public life.
Wiedermannová-Motyčková was an active demonstrator at various rallies and participated in petition drives to secure the vote for women. She participated in international women's conferences and sought ties with feminists in other parts of the Czech lands. Through coordinated campaigns, activists tried to bring about electoral change, though their cooperation eventually broke down. From the onset of World War I, her activism shifted to focus on humanitarian aid for the poor and for soldiers' families. Her partner died in 1914 and she died the following year, shortly before Czech women secured the right to vote in 1918. She is remembered for her work to establish more extensive education for women and, more generally, to improve the status of women in Moravia.